


In The Water

by Nory



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, Mermaids, Modern AU, yumikuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-02 02:23:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2796206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nory/pseuds/Nory





	1. Silver

Today was one of those rare days where the sky was pink and yellow and blue, all the colors at once. Krista sat there on the edge of the bike rack staring up. She wished she could stay there forever, home was filled with coldness and empty rooms. She couldn’t bear to be there. She made the walk home longer than usual. 

 

How is any of this real, thought Krista. Her hands were pale and trembling. She was tired of being alone.

 

Everything was still for a moment and she began to walk. One foot in front of the other, carefully, consciously.

 

It’s dark inside. Krista walks from room to room, turning on all the lights. There aren’t that many rooms, just hers, the kitchen, bathroom and small living room where she took her bowl of leftover pasta, curling up on the armchair looking at the brightness of the light on the floors. She could pretend that she wasn’t the only one here.

 

Only the sound of the ocean could be heard through the windowpanes, heaving its slow sigh, lulling her to sleep.

 

The mornings she spent alone. She decided to move here to this small windy town near the ocean after high school, to be away from memories she no longer wanted. She thought that running away would help her cope. But new places are just a reminder of how isolated she seems to be. The ocean drew her here. She’d never been so close to it before. It was frightening at first, the roar felt like it was swallowing her whole but as the months went by, it was her only comfort.

 

There was a garden that she’d begun to cultivate behind the tiny piece of land near the side of the house. She’d placed wooden boxes and inside were all sorts of flowers, some flowers she couldn’t grow because the soil there wasn’t suitable. But the blooming yellows, reds and blues of the petals emerging from the ground brightened her mood.

 

Krista knelt down to pull out a few weeds. The sun was out now, and it warmed her back.

 

She didn’t have class until 1:00 and her part time job working in the library started at three. Today was an easy day. She’d go out to the little outdoor market, take her bike for a ride along the path near the beach where it was quiet.

 

Her neighbor Sasha was outside, picking up the newspaper from her driveway. She spotted Krista walking her bike, slinging on her shoulder bag.

 

“Good morning!” she called out cheerfully, half a fried egg in her mouth, a mug in one hand and the newspaper tucked under her arm. Her red hair was up in a messy ponytail.

 

“Hello,” said Krista, waving back at her. Sasha showed her around town the first time she moved here. She too went to the university in town. She came by, knocking on her door carrying a huge basket of homemade bread, and they were friends ever since. Krista liked her quirky, gentle nature.

 

“Where are you going these days?” Sasha asked.

 

“Just along that path over there, near that boardwalk, there aren’t that many people on week days and there’s… a place I wanna check out.”

 

“Ooh, well, be careful out there,” she walked towards her, chewing her fried egg. “You know, they say there are mermaids that sometimes go to the shallows near the ocean where its connected to the river.”

 

Krista laughed, “There are no such things as mermaids, Sasha.”

 

Sasha’s eyes widened, “Oh yes, they exist! My mom’s lived here for years, she said she’s seen one. But only for a second, mermaids are really shy apparently. She told me that the one she saw had yellow eyes and a silver tail.”

 

Krista furrowed her brow, Sasha was pretty gullible to be believing tales of this sort. She was ready to dismiss the absurdity of it all when Sasha suddenly added, “they live forever too.”

 

“Imagine that, they’ve seen the very bottom of the ocean, if i met one, i’d ask her what its like so deep down there…don’t you ever wonder?”

 

Krista’s eyes softened, seeing Sasha’s face filled with wonder, “Yes, i suppose i do sometimes,” she smiled.

 

“I guess i’ll let you go, you must think im crazy for believing in this hogwash, right? But sometimes believing in a fantasy is better than dealing in what’s real, at least…I think so.”

 

She turned around to go back inside, the screen door squeaking shut behind her. Today Krista would forget about everything else, she’d look for that very spot she’d seen once wandering on her own one day a month ago. It was a beautiful place, secluded and pools of turquoise light shimmered against the rock. She would peer into the depths listening to the water.

 

The wheels on her bike rolled along over the gravel path, turning slowly into sand and long beach grass that tickled her knees.

 

There it was. That little spot that seemed just for her. She felt the most at peace there. The roar of the ocean was muffled here. It was like a shell that held out the storminess of the sea, leaving behind only the calm before the storm. Krista sat down on the sunbaked rock, dipping her calves into the water. It was very cold at first, but the rest of her was warm and she began to relax. She closed her eyes, listening to the distant caws of the seagulls, the grains of sand digging under her palm didn’t bother her much. Everything was quiet around her and inside of her head it was silent as well.

 

Her heart slowed to a steady beat.

 

A beat that was interrupted by the unusual sound of something heavy moving under the water. Her eyes opened in the direct sunlight. The water barely rippled and there was a glimpse of silver like floating diamonds for a split second. But it may have been the light on the surface. It almost blinded her. She peered once again into the water, all she could see was the murky form of her pale feet. Everything was still as it was in the beginning. But it didn’t feel the same.

 

She didn’t know why but Krista whispered into the water, “Come back.”


	2. Ocher

She dreamt last night about the water. It pulled her inside. It was like floating and the lightest she’d ever felt in her life, as if all her burdens were freed and carried away by the glimmering schools of fish that swam around her like a moving cloud. It was over when she woke up and Krista felt an innumerable sadness in her chest as she stared at the rumpled bedsheets around her.

 

Work was tedious yesterday, she was asked to be at the help desk that day and dealt with complaints from students about overdue fees and lost books and directing others to meetings held in the library. She preferred shelving books downstairs where it was more quiet and the smell of books were calming, no one would bother her besides the occasional student who needed help finding a certain book.

 

She leaned over to check the time. It was 7: 23 am. She got up to turn on the lights. She had an early class today and had to catch the bus on time. After brushing her teeth and putting her hair in a low knot, she took her lunch pack of leftovers again and book bag and hurried out the door.

 

It was cloudy and a strong wind was blowing. Krista looked up. It was going to rain soon. She arrived at the bus stop just in time.

 

After class, she waited for Sasha who was usually free after her speech class, but she was called in for work and had to leave immediately, she said in a text message. Krista decided that since she was done for the day, she’d take her lunch off campus. She wished she had her bike with her, it was still cloudy but it wasn’t cold and the wind on her face felt good. She wanted to be near the water.

 

More on a whim than anything, Krista walked to the bus stop which led her home. She took her bike out of the shed and rode it all the way to the same place she dreamt about. She had to be there again.

 

It looked different today, not as illuminated as on brighter days. But it was something else entirely when the clouds covered the sun, it was beautiful in a darker way. The tall grass was bent over from the wind and the water in the deep end of the pools moved in agitated circles. Krista put down her bike near the bunches of grass and took out her lunch. The sun came out and the sky was yellow for a few brief seconds bathing everything in ocher. She liked the way it looked on the surface of the water. Then it would go back to soft gray. I could be here forever, she thought.

 

She put down her container and spoon and crawled nearer to the edge near the water. She leaned down to dip the tips of her fingers in, breaking the surface. The outlines of sea weeds wavered near the jagged rock underneath. The ripples changed.

 

She felt something heavy move and her hand froze. The same flash of silver was there again. It sliced the water like knives.

 

Then she emerged. Krista saw her eyes first because they were yellow ocher jewels under heavy lids. Her long black hair were like inky ribbons over her shoulders which were freckled. She swam closer and Krista almost fell into the water but she steadied herself and fell backwards instead on her bottom, her breathing shallow.

 

Her tail was indeed silver, each scale like a gemstone; and the fins at the end of it were a wispy transparent blue gray.

 

Krista found her voice and it was more like a croak, “You’re..I..is… this real..” more to herself than to the mythical creature floating before her. And she almost truly lost her voice when the mermaid spoke, “You said to come back.”

 

Krista’s eyes widened. She had never imagined this. It must be a dream. As if reading her thoughts, she spoke again, “I’m real. You’re not in a dream,” she narrowed her eyes and gave her tail a swish.

 

“Why have you shown yourself to me?” asked Krista, her heart still thumping like she’d been running.

 

“Well, you said come back yesterday..so I came back,” She frowned, “but if you didn’t mean it, I’ll go somewhere else.” She made to turn around in a huff but Krista shouted, “Wait!”

 

“Please don’t go, please. Stay,” she pleaded. “Do you have a name…?” She sat right at the edge and the mermaid turned back around, she was close enough for Krista to see all the freckles on her face, especially as the clouds passed away from the sun and her golden skin was awash in its yellow light. She really was beautiful.

 

“Ymir,” she replied. Krista wasn’t sure how to pronounce it, “Can you spell it out?”

 

“I…well, I can’t,” she looked away, her cheeks red.

 

“It’s okay,” said Krista, “eeh meer…?” she said, and the mermaid nodded. “I”ve never heard a name like that…it’s pretty,” she smiled. Ymir rested her forearms on the edge of the precipice.

 

“I’ve been watching you,” she said. “You were here 6 days ago too, I saw you.”

 

“You sat right here and and were crying,” said Ymir, “Are you always sad?”

 

Krista wasn’t sure what to say, a mermaid of all things…she’d been watching her too. Was she always there? She was looking at her so curiously.

“I…try not to be,” Krista said. She looked down at her dirty knees. Ymir suddenly heaved herself from the water and sat on the rock next to Krista, leaning on one arm. “You can touch my scales if you want, you’ve been looking at them.”

 

Krista blushed under her gaze. she tentatively reached over to touch the scales shimmering in the rays of filtered light. They were slick to the touch and cold. It was all so surreal. Krista wondered if the rest of her was cold and her face felt hotter.

 

“They look like diamonds,” she said to Ymir who grinned giving her fin a little wiggle, “I like it too.”

 

Ymir looked towards the unfinished apple sitting atop Krista’s lunch pail, “What’s that?”

 

“I saw you eating it, can I have some too?”

 

“It’s an apple,” she grabbed the bitten fruit, “um…are you sure you want to try some?”

 

Ymir nodded, holding out her wet palm in which put the apple in. She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, “It tastes good,” her eyes sparkling. She finished it but tried also to eat the core and Krista had to stop her.

 

“Where did you learn to speak english?” Krista asked while Ymir wiped her hand on the rock.

 

“I don’t really remember, it was a man who taught me…he was a fisherman. I was very young then. And he loved me,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

 

“You didn’t…love him?” asked Krista slowly.

 

“I tried to, he died a long time ago,” she continued, “It’s just…I live forever.” A shadow seemed to pass over her face. It was silent for a moment before Krista spoke again. It was beginning to get darker. Surely it would rain any minute now. “Can I see you again?”

 

Ymir’s face brightened, “Yes. Tomorrow?” She slid back into the water, “And bring more apples.”

 

“I will,” Krista smiled. She stood up and watched Ymir swim away. The same thought floated in her head, ‘I could stay here forever.’

 

It began to pour as soon as she got home, the sound of it drowned out the ocean. She stood by the window wondering where Ymir was.


	3. Float

Krista couldn’t sleep. She stayed awake looking at the moon long after the rain stopped.the next day, she went to the market to buy a bag of apples. She spotted the shelf of strawberries, Ymir might like these too, she thought, putting a box of the reddest ones in her basket. Sasha tagged along that morning. She was cheerfully trying out the samples of cheese and chatting away about a boy she was seeing named Connie. They shared the same affinity for food, Krista noted.

 

“Say, me and Connie are gonna grab some lunch after class today, wanna come?” Sasha asked, “Sorry I couldn’t make it the other day,” she added sheepishly.

 

“I can’t…I sorta have somewhere to go,” she said.

 

Krista patted her on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind being by myself sometimes, besides…i had an interesting lunch.” She smiled, looking at the apples. Sasha didn’t seem to hear, she was busy pressing her face up against the glass case of the bakery counter.

Krista contemplated for a while whether or not she should tell Sasha about Ymir. She would never believe her…and she had a feeling Ymir made herself known to Krista and no one else for a reason.

 

She couldn’t seem to focus entirely in class, the words on the paper of her chemistry work lab sheet meant nothing, they were just symbols after all. She rested her head on the desk, everyone was busy doing the experiments.and all she could do was remember the way the disintegrating light swallowed Ymir in the water.

 

She walked over right after work but not before she went back home to get the bag of fruit, even though her limbs felt heavy for she didn’t sleep much that night. Ymir was there waiting. She was wallowing in the water, her shoulders bobbed above the surface. Krista left her bike in the same spot. Ymir didn’t notice her at first, she was just floating there in the sun.

 

The stillness of the air around her was like a cloak. Only the sound of the moving water could be heard. Surely it wasn’t real at all, thought Krista, surely…Ymir is a figment of her imagination. She was the part of her mind that coped. Was she was the voice lulling her to sleep when the nights were painful and empty?

 

Ymir looked over her shoulder, hearing Krista’s footsteps. Her eyes were brighter than before.

 

No, no…she is definitely real, thought Krista, I can’t possibly make up something as beautiful as you inside my head.

 

“Wanna come in the water?” asked Ymir, waving at her. “The water’s not too cold today!”

 

“I didn’t bring any extra clothes..” Krista looked down at her blouse and pants in dismay, the water did look inviting. She set down the bag of apples at the edge of the bank, “I brought your apples though.”

 

Ymir lifted herself out of the water and sat next to Krista, gleefully eyeing the bag of produce.

She picked out the shiniest, biggest apple and took a loud bite out of it. This time she avoided the core. “Thank you!” she said, between bites.

 

“You can have all of it,” Krista took out the box of strawberries and Ymir craned her neck, curiously putting a dainty finger on the seeded exterior of the fruit, “…feels kinda like a sea plant I eat sometimes,” she said curiously.

 

Krista picked one out of the box, handing it to Ymir in the small open palm of her hand, “Here, try it…I think you might like it, its the season for strawberries.”

 

“Hmm…” She bit the fruit, “I don’t eat this part though?” she pointed to the green leafy patch.

“Nope,” Krista said. Ymir chewed on the end of one of the leaves anyway, “It doesn’t taste too bad either though…I like it all,” she smiled.

 

“How long were you here?” asked Krista, “Where do you go…usually?”

 

Ymir leaned back on her elbows, her long hair seemed to drape everywhere around her. “I go to my cave under the water, its really quiet down there, not as quiet as here though. I was waiting for you.”

 

Krista listened to her, eyes wide. She wanted to know more. “You didn’t have to wait for me, sorry I came kind of late…”

 

“I..uh, well..I didn’t wait that long, I had things to do too,” she grabbed another apple, a little flustered, and took a much smaller bite, savoring its taste this time, looking away into the water.

 

Krista inched closer, Ymir smelled so much like the sea. But deeper. And different. It was strange and comforting. “What is it like down there?”

 

“It gets dark… and colder but the farther up I swim, the warmer it is. And i have to be careful not to run into anything that could eat me.” She turned the apple over in her hand, “I stay in my cave alot,” she paused, “things like sharks don’t really scare me because they only want to eat me.”

 

“What do you mean?” Krista asked, furrowing her brows. There was so much she didn’t know and the thought of a shark eating Ymir alive was making her tremble. Ymir noticed her shivering and put her hand on Krista’s. It was surprisingly warm. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

 

She sat up, “I’m really strong, you see,” she flexed her arms, showing lean muscle, “I can take care of myself, I’ve lived this long so far, right?” She smiled widely, more for Krista’s sake than her own. Krista’s face brightened and she giggled.

 

There was still this dark unshakeable feeling she couldn’t quite get rid of.

 

“You can live forever…but you can die as well?” she asked.

 

Ymir nodded, “I can get hurt, but I can heal pretty fast too…I never tried dying on purpose,” she looked at Krista now, “I don’t think i’m ready to die yet, I’ll know when I’m ready.”

 

“I see,” was all Krista said in return. Immortality had always been a myth but now that she’s met the most mythical being there ever was, it made sense. Ymir’s sense of practicality concerning her life and death made sense. So much more than anything else in her life.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go in the water?” asked Ymir, she was getting the pull to be in its depths again. “It’s not that deep in this part.”

 

Krista looked down, the truth was that she didn’t know how to swim and the ocean was an abyss that frightened her despite its beauty. She didn’t want to be swallowed.

 

“I can’t…swim,” she said quietly. Ymir didn’t say anything to that. She slipped back into the water and Krista thought she was going to swim away. But she floated backwards, her arm was reaching towards her, “I can teach you.”

 

Krista looked up, she was so unsure about it all. The thought of drowning was enough to make her give up entirely but there was Ymir and her utter sincerity. She trusted her. Krista put one foot in and slowly let herself into the water, reaching out to grab Ymir’s outstretched hand. She couldn’t feel the bottom and began to flail, a slow panic prickling all over her skin. It was swallowing her.

 

But strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her upwards. “You are scared of the water,” said Ymir. She held Krista, “then I guess you can just float.” She put another arm under Krista’s legs, lifting her until she floated just atop the surface of the water. Krista’s body clenched.

 

“Let go,” Ymir said, looking down at her, her arms still supporting Krista’s weight, “I’ll be here, you won’t drown.”

 

Krista slowly let her body relax, the water swished underneath her and she felt the the solid warmth of Ymir against her side. She hadn’t realized her eyes were tightly closed and opened them to meet Ymir’s gaze, who was looking at her so curiously. She craned her neck forward, brushing away a wet blonde strand on the bridge of Krista’s nose.

 

“You never told me your name, you know.”

 

She spread her palms in the water, “Krista.” It was just that she felt she didn’t need an introduction when it came to Ymir.

 

They floated there together for a while longer until the reeds looked like glowing snakes against the gentle tide.

 

Krista rode her bike back home, her clothes still wet but drying in the late evening sun and her knees were covered with sand. The wind dried Ymir’s deep scent into Krista’s hair. It was strange and comforting.


	4. The River Current

Days would go by so fast when during the times Krista spent with Ymir. It was like a dream, a pleasant blur of color and sound. Ymir taught her how to swim. It became easier being deep in the water. She took her to different spots where there were no people. She was always wary of this. The slightest shuffling brought her on edge, Krista could tell from the rigidity of her spine and the way her eyes flickered suddenly.

 

In return, Krista taught her how to read and write. Ymir was a fast learner. She liked the symbolic nature of language.

 

They were at the edge of a river now and the bottom was sandy and less rocky, Krista dipped her feet in until they were buried there under the moving current. Ymir sat next to her. Her tail dipping into the water as well. She looked at Krista’s pale legs which contrasted with her blue gray scales.

 

“We aren’t so different, you and I,” she said, looking at Krista. “I just happen to have a tail.”

They both giggled.

 

They laid back down, side by side. “So what else do you eat?” asked Ymir. Of all the things on land, she was most interested in human food, requesting Krista bring her back all sorts of produce. Krista would describe to her in full detail how they would be cooked and served.

 

“Well, there’s also apple pie, it’s one of my favorite desserts, I like it with ice cream.” Ymir perked up, “apples?”

 

“Yep, its easy to make too, my grandma used to make it before she died. It’s apples and brown sugar and cinnamon in a crust and you just bake it,” said Krista. “I’ll make it and bring you some,” she said to Ymir who looked like she’d be thinking about it for days.

 

“Do you miss your grandma?” she asked.

 

“She…well, we didn’t talk much. She just looked after me for a few years when I was a kid I guess,” said Krista.

 

“What about your mother and your father?”

 

Krista looked away then, pained.

 

“I wasn’t supposed to be born.”

 

They were both silent. It felt like an eternity before Ymir spoke again. And Krista could feel her heart beating, she’s never told anyone this. She usually just said they were divorced and she didn’t see them much anymore after high school. The half-lie felt heavy and cumbersome in her mouth.

 

Then she felt Ymir hold her hand. It was the most natural thing in the world. Everything was meant to be.

Ymir turned to face her again. Their foreheads almost touched. Krista could see every golden freckle on her nose. And then she closed her eyes, Ymir’s lips were so close. But there was a much louder shuffling this time, somewhere near the trees. Ymir’s hold on Krista’s hand became a tight grip. She put a finger to her lips. Someone else was there.

 

Krista stayed as still she could, but she was frightened. Who was watching them? Were they always there? But before her mind could question any further, he sprang out from behind the trees and Ymir jumped into the water only looking back to yell “Run Krista, Leave!!”, she looked like a completely different creature.

 

“Ymir!” Krista screamed. The man ran along the riverbend, he had a pistol aimed at the water where Ymir’s tail could be seen just underneath the surface swimming away frantically. He looked deranged, yelling into the water “You can’t escape me again. I’ll finish what my father couldn’t, just you wait!” He shot at the water and Krista screamed; where was Ymir? Was she able to swim away? Why did that strange man want to kill her? Krista ran back into the woods, he didn’t seem to notice her. His feral eyes were only on Ymir in that moment. Krista watched him cursing at the water. She told herself she should get away now, he was dangerous. He walked back to where they had both been sitting earlier and stared angrily at the imprints of their bodies left in the sand bank. He suddenly looked right where she’d been standing and walked towards her, Krista panicked but she couldn’t run. It was as if her feet were stuck to the ground. Her breathing shallowed…as if she was drowning in the water again.

 

“You,” he pointed at her, “You’re gonna make her come back.” He grabbed her arm roughly, she tried to pull her arm away but his hold was too tight. Her bare feet scraped painfully against the leaves and twigs of the ground. But she found some strength, somewhere in her, remembering the way Ymir’s hand felt in her own, and elbowed him in the ribs with all the force she could muster. He keeled over clutching his side as she ran away as fast as she could.

 

Tired out and still in shock, Krista found her way back to the familiar little roads that would lead her home. She stopped in front of her door, trying to find the key in her soiled pocket, not noticing the scratches on her arms and legs anymore. Her hand shook and it took her a few tries to properly put the key in the lock, but she got inside, where it was dark and sat down on the floor behind the closed front door. “Ymir…” she whispered, “where are you?” Her lips trembled and she put a hand over them to stop it but it wouldn’t stop, her vision became blurred with tears that she tried to hold in but they leaked out, hot and fast.

 

She laid down on the cold wooden planks, there were so many questions. Her palms were face up and they felt emptier than ever.

 

Krista skipped class the next day and the next, listlessly going to work. She was scared of running into the strange man again, she saw his feral eyes in her dreams sometimes. So she asked Sasha to come along to that place they first met. Sasha was more than happy to, thinking it would be an adventure, “maybe we’ll see a mermaid, eh?” she said, jokingly. Krista said, “maybe.”

 

She was looking for a sign. She wasn’t sure why. Ymir is gone forever, she told herself, looking into the golden tinged surface. “Come back,” she whispered into the water, hoping it would be just like before, as if she could summon her in a heartbeat.

 

Krista shut her eyes, there is nothing there anymore. Nothing to remember her by except those fleeting memories left behind. She opened her eyes again to look at the flat piece of wood sitting amongst the wild grasses, crawling over to where it sat. She picked up the lightweight plane of wood and brushed off the sand; upon closer examination, words were carved into it.

 

Tears began to prickled her eyes again, it read, “Krista, sorry.” She held it up to her chest.

 

“What you got there?” Sasha said, coming around to her side.

 

“Just…a piece of wood,” replied Krista and put it in her book bag. “Let’s go now, its getting dark again.”


	5. Lucid Dreaming

Krista never went back again after that day. She tried to move on with her life. School was where she needed to focus on, it would only be about a year and a half before she graduated and she was ready. There wasn’t room in her life for fantasies, she would only let that part of her mind roam at it’s will in her sleep. But she often had sleepless nights.

Little did she know Ymir did indeed come back and they were both on the verge of giving up but it was as though there was a tightly wound string connecting them, keeping them together. A life line.

“Krista?” said Sasha. Her voice sounded muffled and far away. She touched the girl who seemed so lost in thought. “let’s get something to eat, class just ended six minutes ago.”

“Krista…are you okay?” Sasha said, a little more worried. Did something happen last week to make her seem this way? Krista was usually well…not always happy, but content at least. Sasha looked at her friend thoughtfully, her blonde hair covered half of her face but she could see the restlessness in her tired eyes. Krista mumbled backs something about not getting enough sleep last night and brushed off the question, though not very well. Sasha didn’t press her any further.

Another week passed and Krista could only remember in her dreams how vivid Ymir looked. But she couldn’t remember her face too well when she wasn’t asleep. It frustrated her. She tried so hard to forget. Going back to that place would haunt her forever.

It was the middle of the night where she couldn’t sleep at all. She had a final to study for and it was the end of May where it began to get warmer every day. But her head was clouded and she needed to really breathe. And it rained sometimes but not the way it rained when she met Ymir. It was soft and relenting, draping her hair and shoulders in water like a shawl. She went outside to breathe. And as if her legs moved on its own, they took her to the very same place that she met Ymir. She wasn’t expecting her to be there. Ymir didn’t like to be out in the rain. It was too noisy for her, Krista remembered. She just wanted to see that place again so she could remember it as she did the first time. She felt an ache in her bones then, almost painful.

It was as beautiful as ever, nothing had changed. Maybe time did stop.

She sat at the same spot close to the water pockmarked lightly by the falling spring rain. It was much darker at this hour, looking more like an abyss than ever. She thought about swimming in it for after learning how to swim, Krista took to swimming regularly, in certain parts of the beach. She dipped her foot into the water, it was cold.

As she sat there, she began to feel uneasy. She felt like she was being watched. Before she could make a move, he stepped out, seemingly out of thin air. His eyes were the same but hardened and angrier. There was blood on his hands, the same man that tried to kill Ymir. Krista froze with fear.

He walked towards her and Krista tried to back away, heart thudding faster the closer he came. He was strangely calm, unlike his first appearance. “Stay,” he said. His voice was low and tense. He never seemed to look straight at her, but just right above her head. This time she didn’t run, she didn’t know why.

“Would you want to live forever?” he asked, sitting down next to her, looking deep into the water. He took out a bloodied blade and set it on the sandy ground in front of him. The blood was brown and dried. Krista tried very hard not to imagine where that blood came from. Her hands began to violently tremble.

“There are so many theories out there that graze the surface of immortality. But they’re just theories. My father was a gifted scientist and philosopher, but he never went far with anything because he was a cowardly old man,” he continued. “But thanks to him, I know now.”

The sound of the rain seemed to cease when he spoke. It didn’t make much sense to her at all, all she knew was that he was willing to kill for whatever it was that he wanted so badly. And it was Ymir, but…what answers did Ymir hold for such an objective…?

“He met her one day, out fishing,” he said. “He never brought back any fish because he just threw them back in the water when he caught them, such a soft old fool he was.”

“He tried to keep it a secret but I knew when he was out there for hours at a time.”

“I never believed in myths but sometimes you have to when there is no other choice, sometimes you have to be willing,” he paused, “…and I saw him in his study, closing himself off from us as usual, I snuck in there that night when he was sleeping, still in his goddamn chair.”

“All I saw were printed articles and books about mermaids, he’d read every printed there there was to read on mermaids and I just stood there sifting through all that, getting angrier the more I thought about him losing himself in these myths…fantasies, nothing of importance at all.”

Krista didn’t move, only listened with morbid fascination. “Now, most of these things were things i’ve heard before, what we’ve all heard before about mermaids…sometimes they’re beautiful, sometimes frightening..they can kill,” he looked at Krista then, and his gaze was so direct she couldn’t look away, “But there was one little thing he kept reading over and over, an old journal entry about immortality and how to achieve it, at first it looked like something that had nothing to do with mermaids at all, though it seemed just as nonsensical because mermaids don’t exist, so neither should eternal life.”

“I decided to follow him one day, he was careless with his lies, said he’d be out fishing again for the whole day, but he didn’t go to the usual spot where the boat was kept, he went to a shallow pool much like this one and there she was.”

“He was teaching her how to speak, this…creature…she’s not human at all but he talked to her as if she was, I knew what his objective was right from the start; to kill her. He knew and now I do too, that once you kill a mermaid, you absorb her soul and live forever.” Picking up a smooth pebble, he threw it into the water, making a small and almost soundless splash.

He looked at her, his face a mask, "You cannot stop me."

Krista’s eyes widened and teared up, no…this couldn’t be true. All along, she always known Ymir kept certain things from her and Krista assumed she was just…personal, perhaps sensitive but this was something else entirely. It was life and death. She felt powerless, but there was a sort of presentiment resting deep within her that told her Ymir was not gone yet.

The cadaverous silence engulfed her.


End file.
